MEASUREMENTS 19 



(Fig. 3). It is made of 90 per cent platinum and 10 per cent 

 iridium. The length of the meter is equivalent to one ten- 

 millionth part of a quadrant of the earth's 

 meridian from the equator to the pole. 



Subdivisions in the metric system are in- 

 dicated by prefixes to each of the standards : 

 "deci" for T \, "centi" for jfo, and "milli" 

 for totto- Multiples of the standard units 



. . Fig. 3. Cross sec- 



are indicated by the prefix "deka" for 10 Hon of the standard 

 times, "hecto" for 100 times, and "kilo" ™*» bar 

 for 1,000 times. There is a very close relationship between 

 the various units, a liter being 1 cubic decimeter, the are 1 

 square dekameter, and the gram the weight of 1 cubic 

 centimeter of water at maximum density. 



The following tables of the metric system and the metric 

 conversion table should furnish all the information on this 

 subject needed by the average person: 



Length 



10 millimeters 1 centimeter 



10 centimeters 1 decimeter 



10 decimeters 1 meter 



10 meters 1 dekameter 



10 dekameters ' 1 hectometer 



10 hectometers. . - • 1 kilometer 



Mass 



10 milligrams 1 centigram 



10 centigrams 1 decigram 



10 decigrams 1 gram 



10 grams 1 dekagram 



10 dekagrams 1 hectogram 



10 hectograms 1 kilogram 



Capacity 



10 milliliters 1 centiliter 



10 centiliters 1 deciliter 



10 deciliters 1 liter 



10 liters 1 dekaliter 



10 dekaliters 1 hectoliter 



10 hectoliters 1 kiloliter ^ 



